Distorted Reflections
by DraconicSecrets115
Summary: A doppelganger must discover how to survive with a psychopathic dictator who cares only for himself as his boss. There's one problem - his morals. He unknowingly finds an Angel. Like a light in the darkness, she'll remember this friendship...even in her death. (slight AU.)
1. The Death of an Angel

**Read bold in this A/N for author's notes skimmers!**

_**Note** \- **(Starts with the mission, Where Angels Fear to Tread, then follows The Pre-Sequel) **_

_**Warning(s)** \- **If you're concerned of what might be in this story, drop me a PM or a review for triggers and such. There probably won't be anymore warnings from now on. Also, this contains spoilers for the games, just to let you know. **Also know that I think of the rating of this story as upper teen right now, so there may be a rating change in the future. Just to tack this one on here because I know this effects readership...but **there will **_**not**_** be smut in this story**! _

_Also, the summary has been changed. It has been changed a few times actually, but I think I'm done because I like the newest one. Hope it didn't throw anyone off._

_A/N - Sorry if the dialogue is inaccurate.(Also, please let me know if there's any canon errors as I write this.) It's been a while since I've played this mission, which was one of the most depressing in the game. Anyways, if you have any questions, leave it in the reviews or kick a PM my way! :) Hope this hooks ya!_

* * *

**.**

* * *

**I. The Death of an Angel**

The room was large, circular and dark. The walls were lined and contained faint lights that glowed dully. Four console screens and many circuits also adorned them. In the central part, was a conduit with a large barrier cell under it, housing the siren with sad blue eyes in the vortex of purple light, flowing the slag through her and into the vault key.

Ironically, this miserable prison kept her alive.

This shadowed room was filled with short violent flashes of light and the explosions of grenades and bullets. In the middle of the chamber, the captive siren called encouragement in response to Jack's tirades of threats that were accompanied by his masked face on the screens. The vault hunters surrounding the prisoner unloaded round after round of their weapons into the angelic loaders stomping through the control core room. Jack's attempts to stop them, since it seemed the coward wouldn't come in person.

Zero's corrosive sniper exploded, coating a badass loader in punishing acid. He spun around, lashing out at another machine with his glowing sword. The robot raised it's weapon, unleashing a rain of burning bullets. The dancing Zero was undisturbed. Simultaneously, another Zero revealed himself behind the loader.

The hologram disappeared.

A quick succession of three bullets hit all of his enemy's weak points, leaving it a heap of junk metal. He shouldered his rifle, readying for more.

Salvadore laughed beside him and clutched a dual combo of two automatic rifles, one slag, the other electric. In each hand, he clutched each one. He laughed, aiming his unending attack upon the loaders approaching with raised weapons.

The short, stocky man was unreachable though, by their attacks. He tore up the enemy mercilessly with his actions, punching through their metallic bodies. A loader stomped up behind him, and he twisted around, firing straight into it at pointblank range, his shield protecting against the return until the loader gave out.

He raised his smoking weapons and cheered as the gunzerk finally ended.

Nearby, Maya phaselocked an angelic loader, slamming it into the chamber wall with a load crash. She captured two more bearing down on her at once, collapsing the phase on them and scrapping the metal with a crunch. Two loaders aimed at her and she ducked behind the shell of a broken loader as her shield took more damage than she was comfortable with. She leaned up, aiming her SMG out from her hiding place, riddling the robots in caustic bullets.

On the other side of the room, Roland's and Axton's turrets unloaded streams of bullets. They'd deployed them side by side in a display of military teamwork. The combined shields and firepower were good against the enemies approaching from the front.

Together, the ex-soldiers guarded the rear of their turrets with their assault rifles. A few loaders walked forward, firing tirelessly, backed by a badass. The group assault failed however when the turrets swiveled and the soldiers ducked. A few rockets turned the loaders into scraps of burning scrap metal.

Lilith's phasewalk sent machines flying as she appeared within a group. She took another leap and run, disappearing from view to explode her powers into the enemy again. Her tattoos glowed a fiery color, and she pushed many of her enemies back while at the same time, destroying others.

The psycho, Krieg, swung his axe, a bulky form of chaos as he rushed from one loader to the next. His buzz axe smashed metal apart, and he howled in bloodlust as oil and robot parts rained about him. He took out two badasses by himself before Maya lifted a loader away that had been about to crush him in barrage of rockets. The two took it out with their weapons.

Beside them, Deathtrap growled as it slashed at the enemy with its claws. It unleashed its bright lasers on a robot, melting its legs down so that it collapsed. Gaige cheered her Deathtrap to further carnage. It swooped forward and swiped its claws into its enemy's power core. Gaige aimed with her weapon, covering her Deathtrap from its enemies behind it.

The group was nearly invincible together. When one got into a true mess, the others bailed him or her out with efficient attacks. Without a doubt, they were some of the mightiest warriors in Pandora. The enemy forces seemed endless, but so did the group's integrity and stamina in fighting back.

"No, don't kill my little girl," pleaded Jack's voice loudly over the system as another slag tube exploded and purple fluid splashed down in a nasty, thick river. He'd long given up on his death threats and had resorted to begging.

It was apparent that he knew he was loosing.

Angel screamed in pain, her fragile voice cracking. After a moment, she seemed to regain herself, though she sounded weaker. "Don't listen to him, Vault Hunters, my life ended long ago." Angel assured. It was true...her life had ended when Jack had forced her to take the slag to charge the vault key.

No, it'd ended long before that...when she'd become the GuardianAngel 'AI'.

Finally, the last tube was destroyed through the vault hunter's efforts. The eight watched the captive siren fall weakly, released from the prison supporting her life. She leaned back, her eyes fluttering weakly.

"Angel! You don't have to do this! I'll still forgive you, baby girl! It's not too late." Jack insisted in a distraught voice.

Angel weakly looked up as her life faded slowly, remembering something painful as the vault hunters surrounded her. There was a range of concern, pity and unreadable looks on their faces. Some faces were indiscernible.

None of these piteous or concerned looks were ones she'd seen in her father's eyes. Ever.

She knew who truly gave a damn for her predicament. Not her father, but the ones she'd betrayed. Strangers she'd manipulated for her conniving father. They were good people. Well, as good as they could be in a world like theirs.

She wished she could make her father suffer the way he'd made her suffer. She saw everything that had ever happened in her mind.

"Dad," she whispered. Silence muffled everything now. She wanted to make sure he heard, wanted him to to feel pain, that she knew he would not. He was a cold, heartless monster, incapable of sorrow and loss.

"You're an asshole," she breathed her last words, going limp, the last of her life drained.

"Angel! Angel! NO!" Jack screamed.

* * *

.

* * *

The vault hunters aim at the last tube of slag, unleashing the bullets.

When it explodes, the release from the machine is incredible. I'd forgotten what freedom felt like.

They did this, because I'd asked them to, all of us knowing it was the only way. I knew it was the only way to deprive Jack of his siren he needed for the vault key. I knew it was the only way to defeat his plan. But I also knew that it was the only way to escape the life of servitude that he'd subjected me to.

Everything is going so quickly, and all I'm certain of, is the terrible sound of him, saying how it wasn't too late. But it was. I'd be dead soon.

He was the man who'd ruined my life. My father.

Handsome Jack.

I tell him he's an asshole. Because he is.

This all started long ago, when I was young, just discovering the powers I'd been born with. They frightened him, so he enslaved them, enslaved me, to use as his own. He turned his fear to his advantage.

He was always a coward with a dangerous power-lust. A sick, twisted monster.

He'd screamed threats and pleas at the vault hunters as they'd taken the steps to end my life. But he hadn't said them because he cared for me. He said them because he knew he'd loose his source of power.

The slavery had reduced me to this.

But as the last of this life left me, it wasn't Handsome Jack I thought of.

It was _him._ I'd never forgotten _him_...the one that I'd wept for as the first ounce of slag was pumped into my body.

Farewell, cruel world.

I can almost feel his hand on mine, comforting.

The room and the pitying gazes dissolve into the darkness, but I remember another face. One that was so different yet similar to my father's. I want to apologize to him, and maybe I'll have the chance. Surely, I'd see him soon, there's a light at the end of this tunnel.

There has to be.

I take his hand, and he pulls me forward.

* * *

.

* * *

**End of chapter one.**

What'd you think? Let me know if there's any errors.


	2. Another Assignment from Above

_A/N This chapter takes place about two years prior to the first one. Apologies for any errors in the story, grammatical or dialogue-wise._

_Edit - I had to change the year number up top because of some new information revealed. No biggie! :)_

* * *

.

* * *

**II. Another Assignment from Above**

In Concordia's Up Over bar, loud electronic music blared through the thin atmosphere of oxygen. Pulsing neon lights flashed in their places of stars. The floor seemed to vibrate with it. The customers lounged around while they slurped on various drinks. Some muttered or yelled drunkenly, others sang or sat quietly. Perhaps the silent ones were passed out. Two or three people were on the dance floor while Boom and Rang clanked two glasses together, spilling drink on the stereo and making the music stutter for a few seconds before it came to life again.

A plump woman rushed behind the counter, yelling at the Bar-Bot shirking his duties as normal. No one knew who she had been before she'd replaced Moxxi. No one even knew what had happened to Moxxi. The pretty, vain woman had disappeared about two weeks earlier following the attempt on her ex-boyfriend's life. No one was certain where she'd gone.

Rumors held that she was back on Pandora again, perhaps in New Haven.

A man sat at the bar, sipping a rather potent drink and groaning at a steadily developing headache. He was bent forward despondently, resting his elbows on the counter. The man was tall, with a slight build and handsome face. He had a blue and a green eye each sat above high cheekbones.

He was Timothy Lawrence.

The catch to these features was that it wasn't really his face, but the face of his superior. The man he had become a body double of, mostly against his will. The man he'd grown to hate over time.

Everything sucked. Like the dumb, noisy Bar-Bot beside him, singing to himself while occasionally imitating crying noises. The music thrummed too loud, causing his increasing headache. The alcohol burned his throat unpleasantly with each swallow. He missed his home. He missed his mother. He was currently dangling on the precipice.

Worst of all though...

He absolutely hated this face.

Why'd it have look like that Jack bastard?

He raised the glass of strong liquid up.

Abruptly, his Echo buzzed with a voice, causing him to jump and spill his drink a little. It was an irritatingly familiar voice.

"Heeeyyy Kiddo, what's up?" It was Handsome Jack, as he now insisted on being called. Seriously, how far would the idiot go? His face had gotten screwed up, and now he wore a mask and called himself handsome.

Really.

"Brugh...hey, Sir." was Timothy's morose response. He wanted to just cut the call, but he valued his life a little too much to do so.

"Look here," Jack plowed on. "There's a frigging ton of badass Eridium sprouting on Pandora. There's opportunity. There's money. This stuff sells like Skag intestines in the black market, know what I mean? Need another load of paper? I'm pretty rich now...heh, pretty."

"Sure," The body-double replied, swallowing more of his drink. What choice did he have? "Money's good."

"Yeah," the new president of Hyperion agreed. "Also want to remind you...you're still employed to me. As a _body-double_. You could really start working on that pathetic attitude...I could critique it...but I won't. But I could. In other words, I really need you in my office on Helios in about ten minutes. Capeesh?"

Jack cut the call before the other could respond.

Timothy raised an eyebrow, blinking a few times. He knew he could not refuse. He wouldn't let his face blow up, however much he hated it. He was certain(as he'd been for quite a long time) that there was a bomb in it to keep him loyal to Hyperion. Unfortunately, he'd have to finish his contract with Hyperion before escaping. Somehow, he had to stay alive until then. For six terrible years.

"Alrighty..." he mumbled, dropping some bills on the bar.

He dragged away tiredly towards the door, yawning. At least there was no hurt for money if nothing else was good. Opening a vault for a crazy guy, working as his body-double, and risking his life more often then he could count apparently had its advantages.

Which meant he could forget his sorrows in this place, a miserable habit he'd picked up of late. The cons very heavily outweighed the pros.

"Hey, sexy!" Someone called, stopping him in his tracks. He glanced up to see a woman dressed in way to leave little to the imagination. She eyed him eagerly.

"Not now," responded Timothy, waving his hands for emphasis. He felt a little sick to his stomach suddenly. "I was just leaving."

"You should stay." She insisted, winking.

"Sorry...babe. Can't. Gotta mee-"

Unfortunately, due to a lack of attention. He bumped into a large man with a drink while backing away.

The big, burly guy stopped as he spun around.

"Hey! That was rude!" He squinted. "Wait...you killed my bruv, didn't you? Your that stinkin' vault hunter! You and your little vault hunter friends! You killed Belly! I was there!"

Timothy squinted up at the man, who's face frowned fiercely. "Yeahhh...the dude was totally a bandit. Didn't you know?...I thought we took care of all the bandits...Were you hiding?"

"Nah, napping..."

Timothy supposed the guy deserved some credit for the blunt honesty. He also figured the dude had snuck into Concordia by use of a jump pad. An illegality that would have made the Law Bot go crazy with his tickets.

The man squared up, setting his drink on a rail nearby, but Timothy already had his hand on his wrists, ready to summon his back-up. He was too used to confrontation to not be prepared. Too used to conflict. Anyone could, and would kill him as remorselessly as killing a shuggurath.

"Step any closer, and I-I'll be forced to push this button!" He warned loudly.

"Yeah, I'm scared of a lil' button!" Scoffed the man as he stomped forward, rolling up his sleeves. "Prepare to die by me, Toe! The biggest, baddest bandit you'll ever see, pretty boy!"

"Sure...baddest isn't even a word! Jacks out!" Yelped Timothy as he leapt back from the fist swung at his face.

Two blue, digital Jacks appeared, digistructed from the device.

"And the world just got twenty-five percent more handsome," one of them declared. The duo of virtual fighters raised their arms, wrist lasers ready.

Toe yanked out his gun.

Unfortunately for the bandit, the lasers of the digi-Jacks had already torn through him. There was a thump as the body hit the floor. The fight was all over in a matter of a few seconds.

"Oh," exclaimed Timothy, sucking air through his teeth. "Hm...m-messy!" He cleared his throat. Maybe he should have said something more flashy... Make that a 'probably'. but his mind hadn't been into it. After all, Jack had reprimanded his attitude for being...what was it? Pathetic?

Blood pulled on the floor as the people of Up-Over returned to their drinks, having been momentarily distracted, though not caring. The half-dressed woman giggled and whistled loudly.

"Great, someone get a bot in here!" The waitress behind the counter yelled.

"Hey!" Timothy's admirer rushed over to him and stuck a piece of paper in his hand. Her face was bright. "That was awesome! Here's my Echo!"

"Er...thanks?..."

But the woman had already made her way back to her table.

Just then, a Law-Bot rolled in. "You've just killed someone and stained the floor with their blood. For the property defilement statute, you've just earned a ticket!" It proffered the slip of paper in its 'hand'.

Timothy sighed.

As the digi-Jacks faded, all he could think of was how terrible this all was. He'd summoned out the digistructs within seconds. He hadn't even given it thought. The people had enjoyed the 'show', then promptly forgot about it. Timothy was certain that he'd become as bad, if not worse, than all of these people.

And the only person he had to blame, was himself for taking the money offer long ago in such a clueless fashion. Although, he'd much rather blame Handsome Jack. He dreaded the thought of meeting the man again in person.

He ignored the annoying robot and left.

"Get back here, or you will get another ticket for ignoring a police officer!"

* * *

.

* * *

I left the bar, feeling a little strange. I didn't regret Toe's death. He was a bandit. He'd said as much.

Maybe I should have though. Maybe I should have at least blinked at the death of someone. A person... their death had been caused by me. But I felt walled-off from those types of emotions as nothing solid surfaced.

Plus, the only way I'd survive the years to come, was if I was walled-off from them.

Booze and bloodshed were definitely a strange combo, but not an entirely unlikable one. I ran a hand through my hair. Ugh, this was ridiculous. Yeah, the whole thing about being the Hyperion president's body double had its advantages. But it was obviously a position of walking on eggshells.

Jack was a psychopath before, but now he was also bonkers now on top of that.

I knew it had something to do with the vault. Something Jack had seen.

_"First, you're gonna get me a doctor...then, we're gonna wake the Warrior!" He growled, his face scorched and his one good eye burning maniacally with knowledge we didn't understand._

_Whatever the Warrior was._

_"The what?" Athena asked, her face full of disgust._

_Jack laughed in response, ignoring her. "It's gonna be so good...there'll be fire...bandits screaming and dying left and right!" He punched his fist into an open hand as he sat on his throne of crystals._

_The gladiator's face fell and she turned and stalked away. I supposed that was her idea of quitting. I wished I could walk away too. A part of me wanted to call out to her, but I was frozen, unable to move or speak. I didn't want to be left to a bunch of crazies, and her walking away felt very much like that._

I pushed away the memory as I punched in the fast travel destination to Helios, anxious to be done with this 'meeting'.

I wondered what perilous, crazy mission I'd receive now and how many more innocents would wind up dying because of it.

* * *

.

* * *

**End of chapter 2**


	3. Handsome Jack-ass

_A/N - apologies for the delay. I've been busy this week._

* * *

.

* * *

**III. Handsome Jack-ass**

The light from the fast travel station whirled in my mind, making me feel dizzy. My stomach lurched a little, and I swallowed my nausea down with some effort. Before I could blink, my feet touched solid ground. It was unfortunate that the feeling of fast traveling so closely resembled being yanked around at startling heights.

Yeah, heights weren't my strong suit.

I started from the machine in the entrance of Jack's office.

Strangely enough, the first thing I noticed was the absence of noise that all too often originated from the CL4P-TP units that were usually working away here. It felt ridiculously empty without the annoying little robot in their cubicles, tapping and banging on their consoles. I wondered where they were.

I remembered, then, something Jack had said about destroying every last one of those things. Perhaps he had done so. He'd really hated them, and it was one of the only things about him that I could relate to.

I took small steps down the long hallway leading to Jack's luxuriant office. I wanted to put this off as long as possible. I was even passed by the cleaning bot that seemed to make several useless trips up and down the corridor all the time.

Finally, I passed through the automatic, towering doors. The entirety of the office was hard to take in at once. The splendor, the décor, the towering ceiling all seemed darker in the glow from outer space. Huge, uncovered windows peered down on Elpis, and the fountains of water flowed casually nearby. It was really the image of pure vanity. It didn't take a person long to realize that all Jack cared about, was himself.

I tried to add a more confident, sure-footedness to my stride on my way in through the doors, as though they marked a spot on my journey in which I should try and summon the actor within me.

Jack stood by his desk, leaning over a computer and tapping away at the screen. He was dressed in his typical attire, but the sleeves of his fancy jacket had been unbuttoned and rolled up for a more relaxed look. After a moment, he glanced up. He smiled coldly through his flesh-colored mask, and glanced at his wrist, which I was certain would behold a diamond-studded watch(I was too far off to really tell what it was like). I would later find out that he did indeed have diamonds in it.

"Hey, congratulations!" He quipped. "Cheers to a new record of arrival at this office! Of course, it's easier when you're not getting shot at by bandits and psycho chicks with ridiculous names."

I stood between the two fountains, eyeing the smooth polished floor underfoot. I could see my reflection in it.

Yeah, I had the handsome jackass looks. But it wasn't the same. There was no mask, making me look far younger. A faint line was still apparent on my jaw from a bullet graze I'd suffered on my travels through Elpis. I still wore the outfit in a more sharp fashion.

Perhaps I still held the persona that Jack should've been.

For some reason, it made me feel morose.

"Heeellllooooo! Helios to body-double!"

I glanced up, feeling startled. "Spaced-out...what was that?" I tried for a more Jack-like response.

He grimaced. "Looks like you're gonna need, like...a _lot_ more work. Sit down, take a load off! And while your at it, make yourself at home! We've got a lot to talk about, and brag about!" He gestured to a space set off to the side, where a few comfortable recliners and even a sofa were arranged around a table. "I'll be over in a jiffy!"

He returned to his work.

I didn't quite feel brave enough to refuse, so I traipsed over and sat in one of the recliners. He was in a good mood as far as I could tell, and I didn't want that to change.

Jack finished up whatever he was doing and joined me. He took a seat at the opposite recliner and kicked back, making full use of its comforts. He sat there, legs crossed lazily, and gave a great big sigh as if he'd just had a long, hard day. Nothing was further from the truth.

"Just look at this, kiddo. Finally here, just like I promised."

I knew he wasn't talking about the recliner, but rather the power he had usurped. I'd remembered how'd he'd called me on the echo to describe, in great detail, his triumph over his former boss, Mr. Tassiter. I suppose he just wanted to share his story of triumphant strangulation.

"Promise..." I muttered, feeling downcast for reasons that related to the last few weeks of my moping. And probably, partially to the alcohol I'd consumed earlier. Slight irritation at that sparked in me.

"Myself, of course! Who else would I promise anything to?"

I shrugged.

"You're being really quiet!" He complained, frowning.

"Apologies, Sir."

"That's okay, Pumpkin. You're here with Handsome Jack, so you can say whatever you want. However, when you're out runnin' around on Pandora, shooting up bad guys, one thing you should remember when impersonating me is that I never, _never_...apologize. Unless I'm being sarcastic, but when do I act like that?" He poked more sarcasm at the statement. "Of course, when you do mess up - 'cause you will - you act like you didn't."

I nodded.

"Good. We're learning here today!"

"So, when does this assignment start?" I met his multi-colored yet dark gaze. I was pretty sure that his left, green eye was a transplant.

Had the victim given the eye willingly? Or was it a specially grown one? Why did that question make me feel so much more annoyed?

"Oh, probably in a month or so..."

"A month!" I was bewildered, and peeved. What had been the rush? Another of his whims? "Really?" A threat, to bring me here, when there was no real hurry.

"Yeah, duh, o' course. Did you think I was just gonna let ya go runnin' off trying to be me without some proper...how should I put this?... _Modifications?_"

The way he said that last word made me shiver a little. The guy was extremely creepy to begin with, and I'd seen what his ideas, experiments, and modifications had brought about to whatever unfortunate lab rat happened to be involved with the 'test'.

I felt another stab of anger at his absolute disregard for everyone and everything but himself.

"Care to elaborate, _Handsome_?" I spat in scorn before I could stop it. Oh god.

When his gaze changed, I wasn't expecting it to crinkle in laughter.

"Whoa-ho, don't whip out the claws, kitty! We'll just blame the booze and let it go..._this time_..."

There was a very dangerous warning in that voice. Abruptly, he kicked down his legrest and stood up, towering over the table. Over me. It was hard to resist the urge to cringe under his maniacal stare that looked like it would murder in an instant.

"And...stay away from the bars," he continued. "We like our drinks, but we know when to drink, and when to do business. Are we clear?"

I nodded, trying not to let the fear creep into my face for him to see.

"Good. So, you're probably wondering why I called you here so urgently. Well, I have a little work for you to start with." His eyes narrowed in that masked face. "You're going to spend the next week or so learning to be a little more like me. And when I say a little, I actually mean _a lot_. Nod when your ready to move on."

I felt strangely embarrassed when I nodded. Like a reprimanded school kid. I wasn't even sure why. How was he so manipulative? He controlled other's emotions with his snide remarks and sarcasm, tossing them for loops. He threatened danger at some times, and offering false friendship at others. Then, there were the insufferable jokes and mocking.

He continued. "After that, we'll make the modifications. We've gotta make sure you actually look like me. That's gonna require a lot of work in some areas. First, you start by making your appearance more 'laxed. After that, we're gonna get you a mask and burn you're face just lik-"

"Burn WHAAA?" I couldn't help it, it came crashing out of me.

I really wished I could keep a lid on my stupid outbursts.

He glared in such a way, that if looks could kill, then I would've died then. Unfortunately, looks may as well have been able to kill at that point.

He breathed in a deadly whisper, "You heard me just fine, Pumpkin. Just fine." He was abruptly standing before me. His hand seized by lapels and dragged me to my feet roughly, eliciting a cry of surprise from myself.

"Wh-"

He tugged me to the side, letting go and shoving me towards the huge window with the mighty view. I stumbled for a few minutes, then caught my balance.

My heart pounded. I stared at the mighty, cracked moon, wondering if my face was about to blow up. Maybe I was about to go out the airlock, and I deliberated on which was worse...and came up with nothing. Both were horrible ways to die. However, I was beginning to think I was going to die a young terrible death.

Please...it was stupid of me! I begged silently.

I heard his light footsteps as he crossed to his desk. I risked a glance. He leaned against his throne-like chair almost casually, a smug look on his face. He wasn't making any suspicious moves, so just maybe...

"You see that?" He spread his arms grandly. "Well, soon that moon's going to be replaced with Pandora out this window. After...well, soon. You know what's down there, Pumpkin? Of course you don't. And you don't need to. All you need to know, is that this is way bigger than you. Way bigger. And don't forget, you were hired...by me...you don't have a say in anything. "

He looked right into my eyes, venomous, and barged on.

"At all. So...when I say I'm gonna burn your face, I'm gonna burn your face...and your going to be happy with it...trust me, it's gonna hurt my pocket more than it'll hurt that handsome mug. On the bright side, there's a good pay raise too."

I nodded meekly. 'Hired' was hardly fair. As if I'd had a choice. Maybe I had though. I been ridiculously desperate. I had accepted this position hadn't I? I had walked into that room, instead of running away when my instincts had screamed to do so then. I cursed my student loans.

"Sorry...sir."

"Don't apologize, it's painfully pathetic," he snapped. He turned and tapped a button on his desk. "Angel!" He called. "Tell the doctor to meet my double at his new quarters. I trust they've been set up."

"Yes, Jack." Came a feminine response.

"Let 'im see Wilhelm too, he'll get a kick out of that. One look at that one and Mister Pants-in-a-wad will remember just who's in charge...me! He's grown quite feisty on his time off. "

"Everything's already in order for...Timothy Lawrence."

"It's Jack, baby. Call the guy by what his name's gotta be. Kay?"

"Alright."

I was immediately interested. It was obviously an A.I. of some sort. But it sounded like its voice had personality. I wasn't sure how I had made that distinction, but it came across to me. Perhaps it was the hesitation, and the fact that she'd said my actual name.

That was a ridiculous basis though.

"What's that?" I asked.

"An AI. I thought even _you_ could tell that."

"Yeah, it just sounds different than any A.I, I've heard."

"It's called 'Guardian Angel'. Custom made. You really need to get out more...and you'll soon have the opportunity too! For now though...just get going to your room."

I didn't waste time hurrying to the door while ignoring the burning stare in my back. A knot of fear formed in my gut. Burn my face? That sounded extremely painful. Only to just to put a mask on it? After all that damned plastic surgery? That man was truly a monster.

And he was right.

I had no say in it.

* * *

.

* * *

**End of chapter 3**


	4. Tear Your Brain Apart

_A/N - I know it's taking awhile to update(been busy), but I'll at least post on weekends(approx. - once a week). Apologies for any and all inaccuracies and typos. I'm going to quit writing this, because it's probably just annoying you. Also, I changed the title and summary because...reasons! _

_And major thanks to those who've read this! :) You make me smile._

* * *

.

* * *

**IV. Tear Your Brain Apart**

Timothy sat on a sofa in front of a fireplace. In his hand was an Echo communicator which he was using to talk to Janey, a friend he'd made on his expedition through Elpis. He'd contacted her a few times in the last week or so, wanting a friendly voice to grace his ears for once.

His employer hadn't let him leave Helios since his arrival, not for a single minute.

"...sound's great, sort-a Jack, I'll see what I can do," Janey's voice was saying over the Echo communicator. He'd just asked her if there was some way she could send some stories his way to use in his moments of boredom. "I got something you might like right now," she added. "_The other day, a scav got smart with Janey. So, she whipped out her shotgun, and took his brainy!_ Like it? I just came up with it."

Timothy laughed, "yeah, it's great!" He was being honest. Anything was better than this place. He had a decent set of luxuriant quarters comprised of two rooms complete with fish tanks, fountains, unknown plants, dazzling décor, a fireplace, and an extravagant bedroom all to himself, but it felt as vain and empty as Jack's office.

His boss had said, "If you wanna be me, the first step is to live like me, Pumpkin."

At first, it wasn't too bad, but with time it was becoming depressing.

"So, what's been going on?" Janey interrupted his thoughts.

"Not much..."

"Why don't I believe that?"

"Because it's a dumbass lie."

"Then tell me the truth."

"I..." he hesitated, feeling uncertain. Then he thought, _to heck with it!_ "Well, first, Jack's insisting everyone calls him _Handsome_ Jack. It's not so bad, but it just goes to show his unending ego. He's so maniacal though. He laughs one minute and kills the next. He murdered the former CEO to take his position...I mean, I know no one liked that senile bastard, but still. He also vented a bunch of workers that weren't quiet enough about wage deductions out an airlock. To ascertain his power, he disbanded the board and took all their profit shares in Hyperion through blackmail. I thought he was going to kill me a week ago. Last I heard, he..." He stopped, not wanting to tell her that Jack was going to burn his face.

It was just something he didn't want to say aloud. As though saying it would make it more absolute, and ignoring it would cause it to go away. He knew it wasn't true, but he couldn't help it.

Timothy finished, "he's also probably going to do worse to me if I can't make a good impression as his body-double the next time I see him...ugh, I hate this place."

The double could say he was improving as a doppelganger, if at a very slow pace. It had more to do with reluctance than anything.

However, he was aware that putting it off longer than possible was dangerous play. Jack wouldn't be patient forever. Fortunately, the president of Hyperion had recently had his hands full with hiring, firing, and building more robots. He seemed attached to his robot army and constantly had orders concerning them to be fufilled.

"I'm sorry, Sort-of Jack. I wish I could help, but I gotta go. I'll try to send something your way and... stay safe, alright?"

"Will do, and you too Janey." He responded as the Echo went dead.

His no-longer preoccupied mind, of course, wandered. It landed on Felicity, the first constructor.

_"No, I don't want to!" Her voice cried out desperately. "Can't you just make a copy of me?" She sounded on the verge of tears._

_"And how long will that take exactly?"_

_"A couple of days at the absolute most!"_

_"Uh-uh. Sorry, but Zarpedon will have popped the moon like a zit by then." Jack's voice carried no regrets though, despite the apology. "Gladstone, keep the military stuff, trash the rest."_

_"I'm sorry Felicity," the Hyperion R&amp;D doctor exclaimed. "I'm so sorry!"_

_"I can hear myself dying," she whispered. "...No, no, nonononono... If hate's all you want, then THAT'S WHAT YOU'LL GET!"_

_Timothy's gut twisted. This was just horrible and wrong to him. Yeah, they didn't have any other choice, but it felt so heartless. It was too easy to commit this terrible deed._

_"I trusted you!" The malfunctioning constructor that was Felicity yelled at the vault hunters as it began creating hostile robots._

His gut filled with more guilt. This wasn't fair to any extent.

It would never be.

"Timothy Lawrence."

He actually jumped at hearing his actual name, which he hadn't heard for quite awhile. He glanced at his Echo device to see the face of a woman with dark hair and blue eyes speaking.

She continued. "Jack has requested your presence in his office. In his words, 'ASAP'."

"Th-thanks! Baby?" He winced at his Jack-impression.

She didn't answer and the Echo went dead. He felt a little off balance. It was the A.I. from Handsome' Jack's office a while back. However, it surprised him that she neither referred to him or his boss as Handsome Jack. She called them by their actual names, even though he'd heard Jack specifically tell her to refer to his double as Handsome Jack.

There was something off about the 'Guardian Angel'.

He shrugged, deciding he had more pressing concerns. He mumbled to himself, "Great, just great. It's always something."

* * *

Timothy entered the huge office yet again to find Jack standing before the towering windows no longer gazing down on Elpis, but now on Pandora. He'd made the announcement that he was going to start prospecting for Eridium here and searching for another alien Vault that supposedly lay somewhere on the massive planet.

However, it'd take some time to get those plans going.

"So, I hear progress has been rather...sluggish. Slackin' off are we?" Handsome Jack asked, not taking his eyes from the planet.

"No, sir. Just, gettin' through the ruts!"

"Really? Do we need some motivation?"

"No, sir. I'm good."

The leader of Hyperion sighed and finally turned around. He walked towards his desk.

"You're good?"

"Yes, sir."

"What is this? A friggin' military? Act like _me_!"

"Not a problem, kiddo."

"Better...better," Jack gave a smile. "Everything treatin' you well?"

"Right-o, like a dream."

Jack burst out laughing. "Oh god! This is fabulous! It's like talking to myself...and yet, not quite..." He crossed his arms. "Perhaps you're not moving along as slowly as I thought."

Their eyes locked almost hostilely.

Handsome Jack sighed and called out, "Hey, Wilhelm! Get in here, I think it's time we took care of a little...problem we've not yet tackled." He looked at Timothy expectantly. "Ready and good to go?"

Timothy started to ask about what, but the doors opened and Wilhelm stomped in. The tall, burly man walked into the office and remained silent as he preceeded further into the room. He stopped beside Timothy, who took a subconscious step away. He always felt intimidated by the large mercenary.

"I'm gonna get the implants you promised, right?" Wilhelm growled, looking at his employer.

"Tough as always, but of course, I have an appointment set up." Handsome Jack shrugged. "And there's always money as a bonus."

Wilhelm's non-robotic eye gleamed greedily.

Timothy was sure the cold-blooded enforcer was as emotionally dead as he was crazy. Who'd want to undergo surgery after surgery to become as robotic as possible? But he'd never say these things out loud. It was pretty much a given that Wilhelm could crush him with little to no effort.

Jack crossed over to his lounge area and seized a metal poker leaning in the fireplace.

"If you would... Wilhelm?" He called lazily, pulling the rod from the hot flames.

Before the body-double knew what was happening, he felt the massive fist from the mercenary smash into his chest. He coughed and stumbled, surprised from the unexpected blow. He collapsed to his knees, winded, eyes watering.

"Good, now keep him still for this."

Timothy's back hit the floor as Wilhelm kicked him with more force than he'd punched. A massive boot fell on the double's torso, holding him down. He was in too much pain now to react and every breath was a stab of agony in his chest. The double swallowed in fear, feeling dread seep into his limbs from his predicament.

His mind went numb in cold trepidation as Jack approached, his face lacking regret as usual. It wasn't so much the man, as it was what he held in his hands like an item of gold. Timothy felt a cold chill in his body, as though his dread were an actual substance.

"Don't blink, kiddo." Jack whispered, aligning the rod upwards. The vault symbol shape at it's end cast a shadow across the double's features.

Before he could say or do anything, the brand descended in a single quick motion.

A horrible scream rang through the office. There was a sizzle of scorched flesh, and Jack pressed harder and longer than necessary, grinning insanely at the pain his body-double was feeling. Timothy writhed, struggling to escape the horrible agony, but Wilhelm mercilessly refused to let up.

Then, it was over. Jack stepped away, nodding calmly to the enforcer.

He released Timothy and the suffering man scrambled to his knees, not wanting to be on the floor like a helpless child. Both hands flew to his burning, aching face when he was upright. It hurt so bad, he couldn't think, or hear, or feel anything else at all.

He refused to acknowledge the damage in voice though, and surprisingly, Jack had nothing more to say for a long time.

The silence was only broken by the groans of pain emitting from the man through his hands, and the footsteps of Wilhelm leaving the office.

"Angel, send the doctor in. I'm done." He heard Jack say to the intercom. "He knows what I want."

Timothy's hands finally dropped from his ruined face. He moaned in pain, staring at the floor through blurred vision. Blood seeped from various parts of the new wound where the burn hadn't closed it off. His left eye was scorched shut, and his right eye had escaped damage. Just like his employer, who apparently had uncanny accuracy in jamming brands onto people's faces.

Jack chuckled a little and began to circle the double like a hungry skag. He tossed his brand into the fountain where it hissed and steamed.

"Did you know that was specially made for this occasion?" He asked. "Oh, and don't complain about this, chucklehead, this is hardly anything. I'm going to teach you everything you'll ever need to know to survive this cruel universe. You're going to be me! Isn't it great? Well...to an extent, 'cause you could never truly be as awesome as me."

Timothy said nothing, face lowered. His arms hung limply. He was still, silent, but his good eye began to blink rapidly until it closed.

"All these good ideas will tear your brain apart, pumpkin. That's how it works. We're the good guys, mm'kay? The vault showed me, it showed me everything. I can't show you, but I can change you, mold you. It'll be perfect..." He hissed, suddenly glaring down as he stopped his pacing in front of the other.

"Ya know, I didn't even have to burn you! I could have just given you a mask! But what's the fun in that?"

An angry sighed spilled into the atmosphere from the wounded man, he was ready to give Handsome Jack his mind. Forget all his worries about his possible death. His eye opened, pained, angry, indignant. He met the off-colored gaze, nearly snarling.

"Don't say a word, kiddo, it's not good for your health." Jack interrupted. "Get off the floor, that's what I did!"

"I'm not you, Jack," Timothy spat angrily, defiantly.

Jack suddenly hit his ruined face with the back of his hand, making his double scream out in pain as his head jerk to the side. "Fine, pumpkin, looks like we're gonna have lotsa fun learnin' what's what around here. Frickin' stand up! Your life's about to get important. I've got such wonderful plans!" He hauled him to his feet and shoved him towards the door as a man with a white coat and glasses entered.

Apparently, the doctor had arrived. He exclaimed, "S-shit! I wasn't expecting it to be so bad!"

"Deal with it, docket." Handsome Jack stated. "I need him ready as quickly as you can bake a cake. Let's get a move on, pronto!" He clapped his hands together and in a loud voice called, "and it's because of me! BECAUSE I'M AMAZING!"

The only thing Timothy could know for sure as he was lead away was that he hated Jack deeply.

Then something else occurred to him. Something that made him want to stop and drop completely in despair.

For a long time now, he'd gone thinking that there was some sort of bomb in his face, ready to explode when Jack so chose.

This incident here proved otherwise. The heat from the burn would have set off any bomb.

Jack had used his fears to control him, just something the tyrannical monster would do.

He dragged on after the doctor, knowing his fears had been taken advantage of, and he'd been played a fool. He'd never been in danger of removing this face. And now, that was next to impossible. The face had been burned, almost to the bone. That wasn't something easily fixed.

He felt like his mind was coming apart with his misery.

* * *

.

* * *

**End of chapter 4**


	5. Distortion of Identity

It's finally here! :D

And awesome, there were quite a few faves and follows while I was away! So thanks everyone! :)

* * *

.

* * *

**V. Distortion of Identity**

In the semi-darkness of my luxuriant room, I sat on the end of my bed. My gaze was locked on the mirror before me and the person shown within it.

I traced the edges of the mask and watched myself run a hand over the curious, rubber-like texture. It felt strange, yet it contorted and twisted with my features. It didn't hurt, but neither did it seem right. I could feel my fingers on this face. It was as if my face had rearranged itself and fitted itself in the shape of a psychopath's.

Of course, that's not at all what had happened.

I looked like him. Just like him. Handsome Jack.

I felt sick. I had to remind myself that I wasn't him. I'd never be that monster. No matter how much I looked like him. No matter what they did to me, I was still Timothy Lawrence. Somewhere under all the surgery and burns and pain, was the scrawny face powdered with light freckles and filled by a large, angular nose.

However, I knew that wasn't completely true. I'd never go back to the nervous, thin guy I'd been.

My mother wouldn't even recognize me anymore. Worse though, was how thoughts of her were fading from my mind like the last remnants of a hopeful dream. I felt a certainty that I'd never see her kind smiling face again. I knew_ I_ couldn't recognize myself in the reflective surface of the mirror in which I peered. I felt like a distorted monster.

I honestly hated my life now. Perhaps that was an understatement.

I felt bitter.

"No one will know me as me. I'll just be Handsome Jack." I whispered in the tyrant's voice. His name, his smile, his voice like venom. All of it mine now. "I'll sit here, and rot, and be a man I'm not. Thanks a lot. Heh, that rhyme would've made Janey smile." I remembered the silly junkyard girl and all her little 'child's' poems.

How they seemed so innocent now.

"It's just as well," I stated in weariness. "I'm rich out the ass, and I'll probably get shot someday from some well-meaning idiot who can't tell the difference."

It was depressing to think that I'd take a bullet for someone who truly deserved it.

"Too late to quit. There might not be a bomb in this screwy face, but it's got the weight of one."

I talked to myself to fill the loneliness. I didn't want to talk to Janey though, even if the Echo communicator sat nearby. I didn't want to worry her with my problems. I needed to come to terms with them first.

I sighed and hung my head, feeling exhausted.

"Do you wish to talk, Timothy Lawrence?"

My gaze flew up. I jumped so badly that I nearly fell off the bed.

It took a moment to realize that it was only the A.I., Angel.

"N-no!" I exclaimed. "Jeeze, this is embarrassing! Oh well... Why'd you jump in, anyway?"

It was just an A.I. after all. I sighed with relief, then wondered if Jack had asked it to spy on my. I felt suspicion creep into my mind like a virulent disease. I didn't like the way it felt, so I tried to push it away.

"I apologize. It was not my intention to eavesdrop. I simply wished to help in any way possible."

That was strange. It didn't sound like she was trying to spy on me, still...

"Thanks...but, I'll be fine...just fine..."

"Goodnight, Tim." She said.

I was too surprised to hear my name again. Abbreviated. As though we were friends. I hadn't heard my name used like that in a long time.

"Goodnight... Angel." I said quietly.

* * *

.

* * *

After three miserable weeks on Helios, the moon felt strange to Timothy. The lack of gravity was new, but familiar too. Far overhead, Pandora was suspended in the rays from its sun. The blue light refracted around its atmosphere to give it an odd glow. The dusty rocks were dry and still.

In the distance sat a gray, old facility in the thin atmosphere. It looked like it was crumbling, as though it'd been attacked multiple times. It probably had. He knew the second he came in range of the place, he'd be spotted. The scavengers would waste no time in a haphazard attack. Most likely, the once-working gate on the facility was no longer able to move. It'd been broken several times.

His thoughts were clear and his mind was ready as he approached the area on foot. He could've taken a Stingray, but his acrophobia had protested the idea. Besides, the walk given him time to plan.

He paused up a dusty, gray rise, glancing down it's length to the old facility below. He retrieved his Echo and tapped it. It sputtered reluctantly, then established a weak connection. "Goin' in," he informed it. "I still don't see why this is so urgent."

"Great!" Jack's voice exclaimed over the choppy signal. "We've got business in Concordia, and I need that signal tower. I sent _you_ because you're better at wiring things up than Wilhelm."

Timothy could imagine the languid shrug that would follow the statement.

"Let me know when you're all done with the barbeque!" Jack finished.

"Alrighty."

"Want back-up? I could send a crate of loaders down."

"Nah, that's not necessary."

"Okay, have fun!"

As if he were going to a picnic.

Timothy switched off the Echo and put it away. He shrugged a laser he'd been carrying into his hands, it's intricate body almost delicate in his grasp. He started forward quickly down the rise, disturbing the gray dust as he jumped forward with his long legs, determined to get this over with as soon as possible.

Just as expected, when he touched town at the base of the hill, the scavengers emerged, weapons at the ready, and began firing. Timothy summoned the help of his two decoys.

"Hello there!" One of the digi-Jacks greeted as it was built quickly from the ground up.

They began firing onto the enemy, giving the body double covering fire. Timothy unleashed the laser, singeing enemies. Together, the odd trio took out the first wave of the bandits.

The double hurried inside the broken gate as his digitals faded, leaving him by himself. He wasn't worried by this because his shield was pretty strong, taking many bullets before failing.

Inside, he was met with an expected ambush. Two scavs jumped upwards, slamming down from above in an attempt to shatter his air mask. He leapt aside just in time. Falling into a kneeling position for better accuracy, he unleashed the electric beam onto them. They scream and writhed, trying to escape and failing.

More of the enemy rushed out, but fell to the beam.

Then, he had to reload.

A badass emerged from a side room, wielding two assault rifles that appeared tiny in his huge hands. His voice was high-pitched as he shouted, "time to die!"

"Oh yeah? I got a badass of my own!" Tim shouted, pressing a different button on his device. Two towering digi-Jacks spawned.

Within moments, the deadly wrist cannons on the digitals unleashed a massive attack of energy. The badass raised his guns, firing on the digitals. The energy balls slammed into the big scav, destroying him.

All that remained was a smoking heap.

Timothy wandered through the base checking that there were no more scavengers hiding away. There were none, and upon completing the task, he entered the radio tower.

"All clear, sir." Timothy spoke over the Echo as he worked at a panel quickly.

"Good, got the signal up?"

"Almost, this tower wasn't as badly damaged as we thought...and there," he turned a knob, dusting his hands off on his leg. "It's done. Complete!"

"I'll meet you in Concordia. We're giving that cesspool a Hyperion-style welcome like it's never seen before! It's gonna be fantastic, Kiddo!"

It took Timothy a minute to process that. Then, he felt dread in his stomach. He wanted to say something, but his boss had already hung up.

"Yay, fantastic." He muttered sarcastically. Suddenly, a stab of horror ran through him. He dropped the Echo onto the floor. "Oh no," he whispered.

He stood up quickly and made for the door.

He cursed his fear of heights. Without it, he'd have a stingray.

He was on foot, and he'd never be able to reach Concordia before Handsome Jack.

* * *

.

* * *

**End of chapter 5.**

XP Sorry for the cliff-hanger, I'll try to update soon!

Just to let you guys know, I _may_ have to up the rating for this story. I haven't decided yet. If you have any concerns about the rating and what my story might contain, PM me. I'm trying to not spoil my story so much in my author's notes(A bad habit of mine). But if you need to know, you need to know! :)


	6. Ashes and Guns Build History

_A/N -Okay, so, I've been gone awhile...again. Anyways, I just wanted to say that I started working ahead in chapters and didn't come back to edit older ones when I should have. Like this one. But here it is, and there will be more updates soon, since I've written nearly four chapters ahead. _

_Have a good day everyone and enjoy the latest chapter! :)_

**EDIT**_ \- I received a review that pointed out, due to Tales from the Borderlands, **this chapter has an AU element**. I'd not played the game so I had no idea what was in it. I didn't think it was canon, since it was a telltale, I thought it was just a side thing. But I'm still keeping it as canon as possible...(and it will definitely go along with Borderlands 1,2 and the Pre-Sequel). Anyways, I hope you still enjoy the read! :)_

* * *

.

* * *

**VI. Ashes and Guns Build History**

After a journey across Elpis and through a fast travel station, I finally felt my feet hit solid pavement at long last. The solid pavement of a town. But before I could appreciate it, I was instantly assaulted by a wild cacophony. I blinked my eyes several times as I tried to absorb what I was seeing, hearing, and smelling.

No...

I sped forward as screams tore at my eardrums and the sounds of gunfire filled my ear. I saw loaders, people running from them, dying. Smoke invaded my nose and lungs. I stopped to cough, doubling over as hacking took over me because my body wasn't accustomed to the environment yet. However, I pushed on, covering my nose and mouth as best I could with my hands, eyes stinging.

I caught sight of Handsome Jack, who was obviously responsible for this attack. He stood beside a familiar constructor and I hurried towards him. I wasn't sure what to do at all, but I needed to stop this. Somehow...

"Heeeyyya, buddy!" Called Handsome Jack, turning to face me. He patted the constructor happily. "Remember our good friend Fellaa..Felo.. Oh, I remember! Felicity! Remember Felicity? the robot with the sexy voice? It's doing so well in its roll!" He frowned. "Unfortunately, it's lost it's sexy voice...but, hey, it still sounds absolutely badass."

_"Construction complete,"_ the machine in question said in it's supposedly badass baritone.

Right on cue too. It's newly made loaders hurried forward to join the fight, if it could be called such. My stomach churned in horror when I realized that their were some of the familiar EXP loaders with them.

Suicide machines to take down civilians. It was absolutely despicable.

"Can't wait to make more!" Jack laughed, slapping the machine again loudly.

My mind became distracted by what surrounded me and I walked past him to gaze upon it in a horrified fascination. I barely noticed him nearby now. I was enthralled in terrible interest by the broken buildings that were burning in the oxygen the citizens had been using to survive and the horrible mess.

Whatever fight the citizens had put up, if any, was gone, drained from them. They emerged traumatized and weary, hands in the air to signify their surrender. All of them had pale faces and various injuries. Bodies lay amongst broken glass and rubble. Loaders stomped through the wreckage, rounding up the surrendering survivors.

_No, no, no, no... If only I had arrived sooner..._ I thought desperately. I nearly jumped out of my skin when a hand clapped my shoulder happily.

"Well, took you long enough," Jack laughed happily. "We're just finishing up here."

"What's this?" I finally managed, trying not to sound as scathing and disturbed as I was.

"Whaddya mean?"

"These people...so many dead."

"Listen, kiddo." Jack said slowly, as though explaining to a child. "We offered them a fair deal. Join us, and we won't make them choke on smoke from their burning homes! I mean, what could be better than joining Hyperion?"

"But..what could Concordia even offer? I mean you called it a cesspool yourself," I pointed out, speaking quickly as a jittery feeling overcame me. Nerves.

"It may be a cesspool, but it's the biggest settlement on Elpis. Which means it's the one with authority. Elpis is as good as ours, pumpkin. Which means we've got access to all of her... Well let's just say it's highly beneficial. It'll be a good start when approaching the bandits of Pandora... I mean, not one more cent is leaving my pocket to use Elpis' satellite space! I'm awesome," he declared.

I felt uncertain. On one hand, I wanted to say everything that was on my chest. On the other hand, I wasn't looking for a premature death at the hands of this...monster. This tyrannical man.

"Um...I just think...feel like maybe this is, a little, um, extreme? Surely..." I trailed away, swallowing nervously.

Jack sighed and turned away, stepping towards the prisoners being herded in our direction by the loaders.

"We'll talk later," he said. "Just remember it's not_ your_ place to question...and please, take some mental notes of what's going to happen here. It'll be for the best."

That's when I noticed Wilhelm. I nearly gaped at him. He no longer looked human. Half of his body seemed to be covered in metal. Or maybe it was metal through in through. It made him considerably more bulky, and very much more intimidating. I almost shrunk against the constructor nearby, wanting to disappear from this mess, but I managed not to. I did take a step back though.

When had he done that to himself?

His metal parts clanked as he walked over, holding a gun. _"It's done,"_ he spoke in a voice that sounded like an angry AI. Or an enthusiastic one. It was so strange.

I turned away from him and studied the faces of the prisoner's, distinctly recognizing a few of them.

"I'm just here on vacation!" Someone shouted indignantly.

"Yeah, I don't even live here!"

"My boyfriend's dead! You're going to pay!"

"You kill Nina's friend!" A heavy Russian voice boomed out.

I glanced at Nurse Nina, who was glaring fiercely at their captors. Us.

Jack yanked his pistol from his belt and fired the gun in the air over his head. The loaders readied their weapons loudly and the captives became silent. Jack's hand fell, returning the weapon to its holster. Apparently, he preferred that noisy weapon to his more sophisticated wrist lasers.

"People of Concordia!" The President of Hyperion started. "Please, relax! All you've got to do is sign up with Hyperion! I mean, this didn't have to be so hard." He spoke in a light, relaxed voice that belayed the carnage.

"Oh really?" A woman stepped forward, her face had bandages on it, and her eyes burned angrily. "I suppose we were just supposed to sign our lives away to a dickhead like you?" She ran a stressed hand through dirty blonde hair.

I sucked air through my lips. I had recognized her before she even spoke, though it'd been awhile since I last seen or even spoken to her properly. It was Janey. I wanted to call out to tell her to shut up. To step back. To go unnoticed. But it was too late. Jack wouldn't let anyone talk to him like that... at least not for long.

I shuddered miserably.

I wondered if she knew me now. The way I looked. She hadn't glanced even slightly in my direction yet. She was focused on the other Jack. But I felt she must have noticed me, standing right beside the constructor that had constructed their demise. Felicity...

"Ah, sweetheart." Jack said, staring right at her in a maniacal way. "What's your name?"

"Why do you care, Dickhead?"

"Hehe...tough are you? Let's see here," he paused and furrowed his masked brow, thinking.

I knew he wasn't really thinking as hard as he appeared, and the life-like mask seemed to somehow enhance the motion. It could almost have seemed cartoonish, with its hard lines, like the way a clown's make-up highlighted his facial expressions. But it was a lot worse than any cartoon, and Jack was no clown.

Janey. Why? Don't do this!

Almost unbidden, a rhyme she told me awhile back entered my head. But it was altered. _Handsome Jack got smart with Janey. She pulled out her shotgun, and took his brainy._

A strange desire to laugh bubbled up at such an image, but was gone instantly. The scenario wasn't going to happen. It was obvious that she had no weapon whatsoever. Besides, things didn't work out like that. Curse her courage.

Jack said, "Ah-hah! I know just the thing for tough. Tell me, what's the saying about...um smarts... Damn, what was it?!" He scratched his head. Abruptly, he twisted, stepped towards me, and literally dragged me out of the shadow of the constructor.

Finally, Janey's eyes locked on me. As did everyone else's. I knew in an instant that Janey knew who I was. I tried hard not to look away, but I couldn't. I could only feel shame clinging to me. I turned towards my employer instead, trying to appear confident, yet I felt like sinking into the ground instead..

"Help me out, Buddy," Jack encouraged.

My mind went blank as I looked into his mismatched eyes that reflected my own. My throat was dehydrated and scratchy. I cleared it.

Then, with some mortification, my dry voice uttered something unbelievable, like a machine, very clearly. "All brawn and no brains?" I felt shock at those words. How could I play into this terrorist's mad games? How could I...?

It was clear that survival had made itself a priority.

I refused to look at anything other than that insane gaze, because for some reason, it was the only one that didn't fill me with shame and misery at the moment. I knew that to look at the prisoners would only guilt me further.

He laughed. "No-no-no-no, not what I had in mind. Good try though... Oh, wait! It's coming to me...yeah! That's right! They say that when you do something dumb, your skull's thick."

I saw his hand move to his waist. I saw the fingers clasp his pistol. I saw the weapon raise up.

"Let's see if yours is thick enough to stop a bullet, Babe." He said calmly.

Everything froze. I saw the fear in her eyes. I saw the muscle contractions as he pulled the trigger. I flinched, but it didn't save me from witnessing the impact, the way the flesh ripped and bone cracked. It was an image I couldn't erase from mind, and it lingered as the lifeless, headless body impacted with the broken concrete.

"Whoahow! Talk about awesome! Hehe, that was too great!" He sighed. "I guess her skull wasn't thick enough."

_Janey got smart with Jack. He pulled out his pistol, and her skull did crack._

Numbness spread through my limbs. Shock. I recognized it. Felt it creep through me like ice. I longed to reach out and try to fix this mess somehow. Then nausea hit me as I managed to turn away. I swallowed, refusing to vomit and reveal that along I was filled with disgust and fairly hateful of all this.

"Wilhelm! Get the rest of this lot back to Helios...I've got a history to build."

I felt him slap my back heartily.

"Not bad at all, Kiddo. You're getting better at being me, which is excellent!"

He walked onward, leaving me standing there.

I couldn't have disagreed more on how excellent it actually was. I also couldn't look at the marred body on the ground. I wasn't really as squeamish about blood and such anymore. But the body belonged to someone I had cared about. A friend. He'd killed her with absolutely no remorse. Had he known that she was a friend once? No, that was impossible.

Then, there where the others. Some must have known me to an extent. And they'd seen me do the most horrible thing in front of all of them. Absolutely nothing.

That was the worst of this mess. I hadn't tried to stop him.

He'd slaughtered Janey and others, and the only thing I'd done was play along with his little act. I didn't know what kind of history we were building, but I didn't want to be a part of it. I found myself wondering if I couldn't locate an escape from this terrible future I foresaw.

But I knew it was ridiculous.

There was no escape from madness. Not this kind anyway.

* * *

.

* * *

**End of chapter 6**


	7. Anomalous Artificial Intelligence

_A/N - I did some edits in earlier chapters. I have a tendency to go back and reread something and think, "it could've been better this way." Then I go and change it. The changes were nothing big, mainly just a few words here and there and grammatical errors and such._

_Anywho, here's the new chapter. Hope you enjoy. :) _

* * *

.

* * *

**VII. Anomalous Artificial Intelligence**

"So, w-what do you plan on doing with...the, um...the prisoners?" I asked Handsome Jack as lightly as possible, while trying to make the question sound nonchalant.

I sat in a chair at his desk across from him while he riffled through data disks and digital screens full of numbers and information distractedly. His normally clean work space was a mess of them now. The moon suspended ouside the window behind my boss seemed way too big from here. I wondered exactly where was the burning city of Concordia and it's broken bodies on that surface.

It couldn't just be invisible, could it? It certainly seemed so, as my eyes could pick out nothing unusual. I guess that it was just too far away.

"Who said anything about prisoners?" Jack broke into my thoughts. "I'm going to give them great jobs! Mostly mining. Heh, and you don't have to pay _volunteers_! Lotsa goodies to be found on Pandora... Eridium... Eridium... More Eridium... Anyways, Hyperion needs a few volunteers to show others that we're _really_ the number one company to work for, since we've been hiring to replace...certain losses. With a few of these moon-stringers with us, we'll let all of Pandora see that we mean business. Hehe, I'm going to be so rich!"

"Is that even..." I clamped my mouth shut.

Luckily he hadn't seem to have heard. He was typing on his computer now.

I thought of several things wrong with what he'd said, and I'd wanted to say something, but I didn't want to push my luck here. I still felt strangely emotionless, and hollow. Nothing inside surfaced. Not sorrow, or even anger. I should have felt indignant at least on behalf of the men and women that'd been enslaved to Hyperion.

But I didn't.

This son of bitch really cared about no one.

_Maybe I am becoming like that._

That thought actually scared me.

"Is someone going to...um, clean up there?" I queried as carefully as I could, biting my tongue afterwards.

"Leave all that nonsense to me, 'kay? We've been over this. You're job is to be me. I'll handle everything else, buttercup."

"Um...don't you think-"

"Shut up, kiddo. Do you really want to try my good mood? If you can't show a little...self-control, things are gonna go down hill _real_ quickly."

I fell into silence. There was no use in pressing this. Unfortunately, I was stuck here. I wasn't confident enough to ask permission to leave, and he seemed to have forgotten about it. What was he so distracted with? I figured I was just going to have to be a silent statue until he finally decided to dismiss me at some point.

Then-

"Jack, you're visitor has arrived." Angel's voice stated over the intercom. "Would you like me to send her in?"

Then abruptly, he jumped up and he yelled. "Well, whaddya know!? Yeah-ha, do it! Don't waste another minute! Thanks, Angel!"

I jerked in surprise as he waltzed languidly past where I sat with a spring in his gait. I turned my rotatable chair to watch him in curiosity. He stopped by the fountain, and drew himself up to his full height and stared at the door.

I'd never seen him so excited. He even ran a hand quickly over his hair.

Then, the doors to the office opened, and in walked the visitor. She wore a western-style hat and an unbuttoned leather coat that hung to her legs. Her face had been done up with make-up and her dark hair was hanging loose under the visor. She had her usual boots and wore dark blue jeans held in place with a belt.

"Nisha the Lawbringer," Jack laughed, sounding pleased. "I like the way that sounds."

"You do, don't you?" She said in an insinuating tone, marching up to him without the slightest pause.

She kissed him.

I looked away quickly, trying to hide my disgust.

I couldn't understand how anyone could perform any intimacy with this monster. Although, maybe I could understand Nisha doing it. I'd learned on my ventures in Elpis that the woman was just about as messed up as they came, a sadist, just like her boyfriend. I hadn't seen the gunslinger since the vault had opened, but I figured she hadn't changed at all. Crazy was a very reoccurring theme amongst the people around here it seemed.

I stood up, feeling awkward, staring out the window. I wasn't sure what to do exactly.

"Oh, oops...hey, body-double!" Jack called. "Forgot you were still around."

I turned slowly to find them both staring at me.

"Y-yeahhh..." I responded, rubbing my head uncertainly.

"Well, well, just look at the _double_," Nisha stated in a strange tone, as if I were somehow causing a problem. "Nothing but a kid with a mask... You've been working at him, haven't you, _Handsome_?"

She said this to Jack in a way that seemed to be trying to belittle me in comparison to the real thing. She smiled, gazing up at him in adoration as she leaned against him like a sly creature. He returned her gaze.

I wasn't hurt in the least bit, though. All I wanted at the moment was to leave. Preferably sooner rather than later.

He laughed a little. "Well, _yeah!_ Of course! He's gotta be just like me, after all." He looked at me again, his eyes narrowing after a moment. "Well...he _isn't_ me," he muttered as if it were an afterthought. "Hey! You were just leaving, kiddo?"

"Y-yep, righto, boss! I was just going. On my way." _Getting the hell out,_ was more like it.

I was glad to leave, and as I moved towards the door, she said, "the kid really needed training when I last saw him, kept getting in all sorts of trouble, little whiny thing. Have you even taught him how to really kill yet?"

I hurried on out the doors, hoping to avoid Jack's response to that. Unfortunately I did hear more, in fact, the voices seemed to echo through the doors and chase me threateningly down the hall.

"Gettin' there, Nish, these things take time."

"You've got time for me now though, don't you?"

"Of course, I even got you a little something-something."

"Oooh, can't wait,"

My walk was ruined when I broke into a run, making for the door of the office as if my very life depended on it. For a few strange moments, I thought it did.

* * *

.

* * *

Later that night found Timothy laying in his bed, feeling very empty while he stared at the uninteresting ceiling overhead. He didn't feel anything at all but total numbness. It had started earlier, after the terrible burning of Concordia, and hadn't gone away. He wondered if it would ever wear off. He wasn't even sure he wanted it to. He had no idea what would follow.

Would he break down?

Lose it completely?

Then maybe Jack would somehow find out and his life would be forfeit...

He could just imagine it. His emotionally broken body would be laying there in the bed in a miserable state. Then, Wilhelm would storm into the room. He would manhandle him to his meeting with Jack - because there would probably be one eventually - and the man would see what was going on in an instant.

He'd whip out that pistol he'd killed Janey with.

And somewhere, Nisha would stand to the side, licking her lips and goading her boyfriend to murder his body-double.

Timothy rolled over in his discomfort as the image faded, wanting to calm his racing thoughts, but he couldn't stop them. He was certain they would only get worse, but there was little he could do about it.

"Timothy Lawrence," Angel's voice spoke without warning from the Echo communicator.

"Angel..."

"I want you to know that...I don't agree with what Jack did earlier."

"What?!" The body-double exclaimed. Finally, surprise was the first new emotion he felt.

How could she disagree with Handsome Jack? Wasn't she _his_ A.I.? A.I. like this shouldn't be able choose to disagree. Something was definitely off about her.

Tim frowned. "Angel," he repeated.

"I will tell you why...and 'what'. I'm not...a typical A.I.," she admitted.

He'd suspected as much.

He sat up quickly and grabbed his Echo off the desk and stared into her blue eyes flickering in the screen. He felt intrigue now, curiosity. He wondered about this 'Angel' even more now. His instincts screamed that something was up, and he was determined to find out what.

"He killed so many people," he spoke as he watched her for a reaction. She didn't even blink. "He b-blew someone I once considered a good friend to oblivion. Right in front of me. Her head _exploded_, Angel!"

He felt better having said it, as though he'd just shoved some of its weight off of him. And finally, the pain hit him inside. It was cruel, twisting his gut harshly, forcing a lump in his throat, but at least he felt more human for it. Tears formed in the back of his eyes, and he blinked quickly.

"Do you need a minute?" She asked softly.

"I-I'll be fine."

Her eyes closed then and her lips parted as she sighed. It was so...

"Angel, are you human?" he whispered, but tears were falling over his mask.

They fell for everyone that Jack had slaughtered and enslaved without a second thought. Perhaps this woman was another of his victims? Perhaps it had to do with her voice? Did Jack's method of hiring involve taking what he wanted without that person's say-so?

Either way, Timothy knew Jack would never shed a tear for them.

Her eyes flew open and she locked on his intensely.

"What if I say no?" She asked.

"I don't know if I'd believe it."

Tears were dripping onto the Echo and he wiped them off the screen with his sleeve swiftly.

"I'm not an A.I... but I'm not human either. It's not simple."

She shifted in the screen, and he wondered so many things.

"Then try to explain," he implored.

"I really shouldn't endanger you anymore."

"Danger?"

"Yes, Jack would be furious if he knew of this. He'd probably kill you. Luckily, I control all of his digital sources, so it is unlikely he'd be able to find out that you know this secret. However, it might just slip out of you in a conversation. I'd rather that not happen."

"Please."

"I won't tell you, Tim, because I can't run that risk."

He could see she wasn't going to change her mind, and the tears were desperately trying to burst out. He decided that it was time to end this conversation.

"I'd like some alone time now," he muttered.

"Good night, Tim."

The Echo shut off and he was a little surprised she'd called me Tim. Again.

The tears that'd been mostly held back burst forth now, running rampant on their own. He finally laid the Echo aside and allowed the tears to run completely as he curled into a miserable ball. He wept into the darkness as he thought of everything that'd happened.

And when it was all done, he felt better. More pure, somehow cleansed.

* * *

.

* * *

**End of chapter 7.**


	8. Dangerous Negotiations

_A/N - Yes, I've been gone forever. I'm sorry for that. I'm trying to get back to writing regularly, but it's been a challenge. Thanks to all who are still around and reading! :) Here's a longish chapter to make up for it! _

* * *

_._

* * *

**VIII. Dangerous Negotiations**

Whenever I walk into Handsome Jack's office, I'm never sure what to expect. Sometimes, he is the perfect illusion of friendliness, and other times he is seconds away from going murderous. Today must have been one of his better days, because he calmly looked up from his desk, eyeing my state with a strange lack of hostility.

"Hey, kiddo, don't take this the wrong way, but you're a mess," he said lightly, raising an eyebrow.

I wasn't sure how he could tell these things. I really couldn't see any difference in the mirror each morning. Just the same mask-covered face staring back out of the glass.

I sighed, "Eh, couldn't sleep well."

He chuckled. "Ah, you'll get used being awesome, I'm sure." He grew abruptly serious. "So, ah, gotta little problemo that...um. Well, to be honest, here lately I'm not so sure you're up to things so I've taken the liberty of developing a little task for you. And I want you to know that you're at any means to complete it. Get creative even! Seriously though, don't muck this up. I'm being generous!"

Strange, he hadn't mentioned anything of me not being 'up to things' before today. I wonder what had given him that idea? It was hard to tell, and I couldn't think of anything specific. Maybe it was the little differences between us that he'd noticed.

"I won't muck it up, sir," came tumbling out before I could stop it. I felt like a dumb puppet, doing whatever this psychopath wanted from me. Hell, I didn't even know what the task was. For all I knew, he wanted me to go murder some poor old lady...like somebody's grandma. I doubted it... but still.

"Well," he went on. "Great. So here's the dealio. I'm having you head down to Pandora. I'll send Wilhelm too. Just to make sure you don't wind up hanging dead over some bandit's fence."

Pandora! That was a first. I'd never been to the surface before. I was excited for a mere second before what he said sunk in...I felt a sense of dread at the thought of Wilhelm coming along. I wasn't overly fond of the robot-man, and I was sure the feeling was mutual for the most part. However, if I kept quiet, he'd just follow Jack's orders and tag along. I could make it work.

"Ah, don't worry about it. Wilhelm's got nothing personal with you, Handsome. Actually, the assignment's quite simple. Just collect some information from my contacts. It'll probably be in the form of Echo recordings. Don't let on that you're just my body-double, you're supposed to be me afterall. Also, don't let Wilhelm in on the info. The guy's cool as hell, but equally greedy...and I won't risk a sell-out."

A very small part of me wondered why he'd trust me any more than Wilhelm. I figured this was a test. He'd said as much earlier.

"Is this gonna be dangerous?"

"Probably not. There's always the risk of some cannibal trying to eat your face, but nah, I'm sure you'll be fine. Beside, that's what Wilhelm's there for, to prevent that. Didn't I already say this?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Good. Now get going, don't forget Wilhelm! He's expecting you."

He stood up and walked to the large windows, gazing down on Pandora. He acted as if he owned that planet, and I knew he was going to try one day. Even if it were only in the money he gained from his Eridium mining.

Jack's growing power was inevitable, it seemed.

* * *

.

* * *

Timothy was on Pandora, which was beginning to seem like an endless desert where dust lifted from the cracked ground of the land, white light shone down from the sun overhead, and the air was inhospitably dry. The doppelganger realized there had been absolutely no good reason to get excited for a trip to this rugged planet. So far, it seemed mostly full of harsh terrain and vicious wildlife. But then again, maybe he was just having bad luck again and got sent to the worst part of the planet.

He drove along the barely-useable road inside a Hyperion-yellow runner. It was an uncomfortably bouncy ride, due to the condition of the trail, and in certain places, white sand had been blown over the path that had been severely damaged by time and weather.

Wilhelm ran along outside the car in all of his robotic glory. He was unable to fit inside a vehicle, for he was taking on more and more metal than what seemed necessary. Timothy figured there were dozens of turrets, surveyors, and other such things hidden underneath the metallic plates. The body-double couldn't begin to imagine what it was like to be in Wilhelm's position. He didn't understand how _anyone_ could be addicted to surgical implants. Maybe Wilhelm just enjoyed feeling powerful.

"Nearly there," Angel's voice came over his Echo communicator. "Turn right just up ahead and you'll see the base. Just pull up, honk the horn and give them the password, _'bandit's suck'_."

"Got it, Angel," he responded, shaking his head.

"Jack wants me to remind you to leave Wilhelm where he can't hear the info. Apparently, you know why. Also, the guy you're going to talk to for the info... his name is Thomas Alo. Apparently, you should call him Tom."

"Alrighty. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

The info base turned out to be an old dusty Dahl factory. It was lined with tall makeshift battlements decorated with metal and broken signs that had once declared the glories of Dahl firepower and munitions.

He pulled up through the sand and honked the vehicle's horn. Wilhelm waited patiently nearby.

A man appeared on the battlements, a dim silhouette in the high sun.

"Who is it!?" He called down. "I don't recognize you!"

"We are from Hyperion..." Timothy replied. "Eh, Bandits... suck!" It sounded so obnoxious to say it that he hesitated.

The response was cracked laughter ringing down from the man, "Alright, the boss said anyone with that password was cleared for entrance. Hurry up now!"

The doppelganger shut off the motor and climbed from the car. He walked towards the entrance, Wilhelm clanking along behind. All of a sudden, he found himself focusing on that moment, walking forward like that. He felt... powerful. Behind him was the deadly enforcer, stomping along with all his might. Before him was a base full of some sort of spies that would willingly give him info.

He could tell Wilhelm whatever he wanted and the man-robot would obey.

These men were going to give him info.

He bet he looked cool as hell, too.

However, not long into these thoughts, he felt purely disgusted with himself.

And it was because of Jack.

_Keep it together, and do you're job. No more, no less,_ he thought. _Besides, these are all Jack's guys...not mine._

"Alright," A man at the gate who was dressed in a strange mixture of scavenged armor said. "This way to the boss. He's, uh, got what you need." He cast a worried glance at Wilhelm.

"Problems?" Timothy asked.

"Nope, just keep a leash on this one, and we're all good."

"He won't hurt anyone...without my order first."

The man lead them through the base.

When they reached the main building, the doppelganger ordered his bodyguard to wait outside. It didn't matter though, because Wilhelm couldn't have gone into the building anyway.

The place was well-furnished and surprisingly homey. Right inside, a group of these strangers sat around a table, having drinks and laughing while flinging cards about in a game. They didn't look up from it. Timothy followed his guide up a set of stairs and through a door. His escort left him with the 'boss', who was sitting in that room on a comfortable-looking chair.

"Ah, Jack, It's been awhile!" The guy greeted.

This must have been Thomas. The tall lanky man was dressed in a set of old Crimson Lance armor. His hair was short cut and his blue eyes looked friendly enough. Though, it was hard to tell these days just who was truly friendly or not.

Thomas continued, "all business? Or would you prefer a drink? Too good for me now? I mean, look at you!"

"Yup, look at _me_!" Timothy stated vainly while figuring that was a very Jack-like response. He took a seat across from Tom on a couch. "You're...um...here, pal...Tom, and got a lot _less_ money...than me."

Tom burst into laughter. "Ah, it's good to have a chat with you again."

Timothy figured this guy was very strange if he liked to chat with the C.E.O. of Hyperion...or whoever Jack had been when he was this guy's 'pal'.

"Anyway, Jack. Here's your tapes." He carelessly tossed a few Echo recordings onto the table. "Enjoy. There's some very juicy stuff. Anyhow, we should talk payment. Eighty grand, now stand and deliver, or forfeit the info, Mr. I-Got-Way-More-Money-Than-You-Because-I-Mine-Valuable-Purple-Stuff-And-,"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Tim attempted a chuckle. "I don't know what's even in here yet!"

Of course, Jack had asked him to only pay fifteen grand at the most. Less was preferable. He felt uncertain. Eighty would be hard to bring down.

"Oh yes," Tom said. "It's got all the people's locations you asked for. Took a lot of work and time getting them together. Lillith, Roland, Moxxie, plus some others that might interest you. Hell, that's bonus, a tribute to our little past...adventures."

"Well, Tom, this is all very good, but let's face it. Eighty grand is ridiculous!"

"What? Well how about a hundred grand."

"Nah, I was thinking of more like...ten grand, kiddo."

Tom finally frowned. "Now, that's ridiculous, _kiddo_. I'm willing to give 'em to you for a mere sixty grand if you're going to be stubborn. That's the lowest, so don't try my patience further!"

The double really began to feel ludicrous. How was he going to do this? He tried to think of something clever, but he had nothing.

"Uh, well, it's just recordings, and honestly, with all this new power, I can get a much better deal. Hell, informants and spies will appear in droves to sell me this sort of thing for less than five grand."

Now Tom was really unhappy. "Yeah right!" He exclaimed sarcastically.

When the gun came out, Timothy was far less certain about this supposed friendship.

"Alright," Tom growled. "Fork over seventy grand, mister high-an'-mighty. Be thankful I'm not raising anymore for this ridiculousness."

"Like I came without expecting this sort of cheap trick!" Timothy responded, feeling angry to be losing control of the situation. "I'll just take 'em, free of charge!"

He tapped his wrist device and dove behind the couch he'd been sitting on, but not before he managed to snatch up the tapes, which were almost more important to his life than actually escaping. His holograms appeared and the man fired his gun several times, his bullets ripping into the couch, but missing their target, and Tom was soon distracted by the digitized men in the room. There were four digi-Jacks this time thanks to Jack, who'd recently made convenient upgrades to his equipment.

A shootout followed between the holograms and the informant, whose shield protected him for the most part. The shots would no doubt draw attention, though, and before anyone could do much more, the door burst open and several men entered, weapons blazing. As if they'd expected this and had been waiting all along.

The doppelganger clutched the tapes and felt miserable to be so unarmed. He had to get out of there.

"You should've listened! I'll take the cash from your lifeless corpse, Jack! You may be richer, but I'm stronger!" Thomas howled over the gunfire.

_Why does he think I'd bring the cash on my person?... _Timothy pulled up his Echo communicator. "Um, Wilhelm? T-there attacking me! Think you could help?!"

"Get outside. I could plow into the building, but I might accidently kill you, which would go against my orders."

_Great,_ Timothy thought. It was really great that his death was so easily chatted about. He had bigger concerns though, and escaping was easier said than done. He looked around, recalling the window he'd seen earlier. He had an exit, thankfully. Never mind that it was a story up from the ground.

"Going out the window, Wilhelm. Be ready."

"Yes, sir."

He pressed the extra button on his other arm's contraption. He sat up, aiming his wrist lasers, firing bolts of energy. A man howled and fell, smoke pouring from his wound. After several tense seconds, the body-double decided the other digi-Jacks were distraction enough and his shield would protect him from the bullets and the fall through the window.

He made a break for his exit and dove through the glass pane before he could change his mind. He felt the glass explode as his weight destroyed the fragile panes. There was a moment of panic, being high up in the air and then he hit the sand and lunged to his feet. Wilhelm ran past him towards the building, plowing a path through surprised enemies - the men who'd been in the courtyard - who had begun to shoot.

The enforcer spun a three-sixty, large, metallic guns sprouting from his shoulders. Timothy ducked behind an overturned car as the bullets began sweeping the battlefield.

In seconds, the resistance was dead, turned into a hapless pile of corpses.

The men from the building, Thomas included, rushed outside, preparing to fire.

Wilhelm thundered towards them. _"Destroyer mode activated!"_ He declared.

All the doppelganger could do was cringe as the screams and blood spatters filled the air, and he couldn't bring himself to look away as the enforcer sliced them with metal arms, and razed them with bullets. He knew the carnage was his fault, but that's not why he was trembling. He was certain Jack would skin him alive for this, quite literally.

Perhaps the Echo recorders he clutched so tightly in his hands would give him a chance.

* * *

.

* * *

**End of chapter eight.**

_A/N Okay, so hopefully this wasn't too ridiculous. I'd like to hear what you think! :) Oh, just want to say, I know Pandora isn't all desert, but there are large deserts on it, and this is the area that Timothy is in and this is from his perspective._

_Oh yeah, and apologies for any errors, I edit a bunch and it seems a few still slip by me from time to time._


	9. Shining Opportunity

A/N - _Sorry, this update is so late. I've been working on two other stories, plus, this chapter is a turning point. My mind was debating between one way the story might go, and the other way it could, and depending on how this chapter was written, it'd take that direction. I've finally settled on this one. Hope you enjoy! :) Apologies for any and all typos._

* * *

.

* * *

**IX. Shining Opportunity.**

"Well, this is quite...unexpected," Handsome Jack said. He sat there, staring at the audios. Beside them lay an Echo device, telling the truth of what had happened. It was the report of my mission.

I stood on the other side of his desk. I could feel the tight anxiety in my gut, and fear crept through my thoughts. I swallowed nervously, trying to gauge his reaction.

I could not. His eyes were still locked on the tapes, giving me nothing to go on. Was he angry? Or annoyed? Or unbothered?

Should I apologize? No, he'd said as much one time. Should I say anything at all? Or stay silent? I opted for silence as the best choice for the moment.

"Of course," he went on. "Maybe I should have expected this."

Suddenly, he stood up and turned towards Elpis, his back to me. I chewed on my lip, reading the words _Hyperion_ on his fancy jacket.

Jack sighed, "well, kiddo, I still have trouble believing you ordered Wilhelm to kill Tom...his men. Seriously, it's...kind of impressive. Good ol' Tom, he'll be_ missed_...by _no one_. Went to college with that guy. Should we throw a memorial service or something? Nah. That'd be a waste of time, and money."

He started to laugh, his shoulders shaking. After a moment, he stopped, breathing deeply. "It's just...It's ridiculous, okay?" He turned towards me, his eyes glittering.

I tried not to look away. Maybe he wasn't too mad. He'd just laughed, after all.

"Well," he continued. "I think you deserve an _E_, for epic failure. I had a pretty solid business plan with that guy. At least I don't have to pay 'em now. So thanks for that, Pumpkin."

He began counting on his fingers, "overall, I get to keep my money, I'll get less douche-y spies, and I've obtained this very..._juicy_ information pack."

He sounded pleased. I almost fell over in relief.

"Seriously," he said cheerfully. "If I weren't so happy with the results, I'd have to do something about the fact that you failed to follow orders exactly...but, improvisation is good, I suppose."

"S-sorry, sir, he refused to lower the price. He wanted nearly a hundred K."

"I read the report," he responded.

I stood there uncertainly for a minute.

Jack folded his arms. "Ya know what? Don't let this go to your head or anything, but I think you're turning out pretty well. I sure whipped you into shape pretty fast..." he nodded once again, as if assuring himself of something. "I've decided to...reward you for being so great. Like me!"

I wasn't sure how to react. A 'reward' from Jack could have been anything. Whether, I truly considered it a reward or not, was a different thing altogether. Still, I was sure that I'd live through it.

"What's that, sir?" I asked, curious despite myself.

He retook his seat quickly. He rummaged through some things, then picked up a datapad. "Revenue gain has exceeded expectations...it's great! I've started a project on Pandora. A wonderful project. Imagine it, kiddo. A beautiful shining city rising from the filth and decay. A mighty hero, taming the wild lands...that's me, by the way."

I already knew he was self-absorbed. He liked to think he was some kind of hero. Nothing could be further from the truth.

I wondered what he was going on about, anyway. What'd this have to do with my 'reward' anyway. I didn't say anything though, and just kept my eyes on him so he wouldn't find a reason to think I was ignoring his speech.

He went on, "Opportunity, baby, is what I'm talkin' about. One should seize the day, ya know? I'm making Pandora my project. The borderlands will be turned into a respectable, literate place. I'm gonna burn all those primitive, illiterate bandits out, and bring the future in." He spoke grandly, "and...guess what? You're going to help me out!"

"How's that?" I asked, to show I was paying attention.

"I'm going to let you have the front row, kiddo. Construction on my own city has started...my own city! Doesn't it sound epic? I'm calling it Oppurtunity, to show what it is. Opportunity on the horizon, right off the shore of a lake. A metropolis gleaming on it's waters."

I blinked. "Wow," I said. I meant it too. It had just hit me what he was on about, and I hadn't realized he was planning this.

He inhaled deeply, "it's _totally _wow!"

I had to stop myself before my brows furrowed. I really couldn't understand him. Right now, he didn't sound too bad. He spoke with the enthusiasm of someone doing something they loved. He spoke like someone who knew they were helping. And yet, everything he'd done...

He'd never helped anybody but himself, I thought.

"What's my role in this, exactly?" I said.

He didn't miss a beat. "You're gonna live in Opportunity, from now on. In total luxury, of course. Anything you want...as long as you make sure the workers work, that their boss is overseeing them, and the bandits are kept at bay with Wilhelm and some Hyperion loaders, troops." His gaze darkened a little, "also, you'll keep assassins where they belong. In hell. I trust you got the hang of the killing thing?"

I shook my head affirmatively. Then a doubt wormed its way into my mind.

"Can I ask something?" I inquired as lightly as possible.

He raised an eyebrow, "oh, what's that?"

"How do you..." I started, and then realized this was a bit more complicated to voice than I'd realized. "Um...I mean _I_ \- kill someone who's unarmed? When they're shooting at my face, it's easy to return the favor. But, when someone's not holding the gun..." I trailed off.

There, it was out.

I had to ask because there was a large possibility of that happening one day - so long as this man was the leader of Hyperion and I worked for him. Which was going to be for a very long time, by the looks of it. If I survived, it meant he did too. After all, I _was_ there to take the bullet for him.

His doppelganger.

It wasn't a pleasant thing, but there was nothing I could do about it.

He leaned back, eyeing me in a way that seemed to be evaluating my words for threat, while targeting my weaknesses. I had a bunch of those, and it wouldn't be hard to 'off' me, as Jack liked to say. Jack never let anyone wear a shield or weapon within Helios, except the loaders. I figured this was to facilitate the icing of any possible nuisances.

Then, he smiled, and I shuddered inwardly at how menacing he could make something so innocent as smiling look.

"Well, ah, Pumpkin, it's quite simple. You aim the gun...and, shoot it. _Duh_." Then he leaned forward and dropped his voice, the appearance of cruelty. "It helps to remember who the good guy is."

I swallowed, a dry feeling in my throat, a taste of dread in my mouth.

"And who's the good guy?" I whispered. I wasn't sure why that came to mind, but it did.

"Why," Jack laughed. "Who'dya think? You are! I am! Hyperion! Isn't it grand?" Then he smiled bigger. "And it also helps to have a bigger vocabulary. Possessing ostentatiously extensive vocables automatically causes you to be exponentially more awesome than the common rabble. You following?"

I nodded, trying to absorb this whacko's response. I was getting used to not being surprised, simply a little numb and annoyed.

"Anyways, now that's settled. I'm sending you there next week, so get your things together soon. For now, you get some time off. I'll send a thesaurus to your Echo, if you want."

I nodded once more. "Thanks sir."

"No problemo. Now get outta here. I've got things to do."

I was feeling pretty good for once, when I left. I was going to Jack's city. He wasn't going to be there. Somehow, knowing this, I felt better. And I was going to live in this nice city, apparently. Surely this was only going to get better.

I whistled as I walked down the hallway from the office. I felt I'd survived something far more with this achievement than I'd ever expected. Maybe, just maybe, I'd make it out alive.

* * *

.

* * *

Timothy sprawled lazily on the couch, having just finished a meal. He was dressed comfortably for the night, and for once in a long time, he was quite relaxed. He held this Echo up, tapping away at the intense game he was playing. Suddenly, he sat up, frowning.

He stared at the screen.

_Game Over_ glared back up at him from the game.

"Ah, screw you, _Echo Jump 10_," he muttered. He sighed, shutting the game down.

"Trying to improve your high score again?" Angel asked, her voice faintly amused.

"Yup," Tim responded. "Getting better every time."

He took a sip from the drink that set on the table, and sat his Echo there, switching the device to cam mode. Angel's face appeared on screen, her dark hair framing it. It made her blue eyes stand out as she gazed at him.

"Still planning to keep what you are a secret?" he asked.

"Yes."

He sighed, "is there something you needed?"

"Jack sent you a thesaurus. He thinks you should improve your vocabulary. I'm uploading it to your Echo."

"What?" He asked incredulously. "He was being serious? _He_ only uses big words when he's trying to be a...well, cool," the body-double quickly amended the statement, worried Jack might somehow find out if he said anything too insultingly veracious.

"All done," she said.

"Hey," he said. "Do you know anything about Opportunity? The city?"

"It's massive," she said. "It's still being built on to. The final layout has it at eighty-five square kilometers, even though it's only currently fifteen."

He wasn't really surprised. "Yep, sounds like his style," he said.

"I just need to say this," she went on. "I know you'll be away from Helios, but don't forget that Jack will still be watching you for the slightest sign of insubordination. He's more paranoid than he lets on. Don't give him any reason to be suspicious."

Timothy sighed. He could have guessed it. Jack wasn't exactly trusting. Of anyone. He wasn't planning on making trouble. He still had hopes, no matter how unrealistic they were, that one day he'd be able to go home. He wanted to make it through, and cast off the hideous face that marked him. Hopefully, with a fat check to make up for all the trouble. On that train of thought, he found himself curious if he could secretly forward money to his mother, under some guise.

He worried for her, and he felt awful when he thought of how she thought he was dead. He glanced at the floor, feeling bitterness in his chest. He hadn't meant to make himself miserable. He deliberately pushed it away, knowing he couldn't let it get to him now.

Or ever. He wasn't going to wallow over his predicament anymore, he decided determinedly. It wouldn't help him, anyway.

"Goodnight, Timothy." Angel whispered, her face vanishing and the screen going dark.

Timothy wondered if Angel was another victim of Jack's. He didn't know how. She'd said she wasn't human. Maybe, though, she was a human turned AI somehow.

He shook his head. That was too weird of a possibility. Still, he knew that she was controlled by Jack, much like he was.

Moving his thoughts to something less depressing, he decided to give his game another go.

Then, he'd call it a day.

* * *

.

* * *

**End of chapter 9.**


	10. The Gilded Skeleton Cage

_A/N - Sorry, I haven't updated sooner. I meant to, but I got out of gaming there for awhile. Thankfully, I've been getting back in the mood for Borderlands, so hopefully I'll be updating more quickly. Honestly, I know how I want this story to end, I'm just not 100 percent sure how to get to that. That was another lag on my inspiration...so, hopefully, I can be more productive from here on out._

* * *

.

* * *

**X. The Gilded Skeleton Cage**

"Oooh yeah, baby, Jack's in." Timothy chuckled in the fashion of a man by himself who pretends to be a sexy billionaire.

Only in this case, he hardly had to pretend hard, looking exactly like one and trained to be just like one.

He revved the engine of the car to listen to its rich growl. He liked it more than he'd honestly admit. It made him feel even more distant from the thin, nervous lad he'd once been - the one who'd been cautious of many things. He felt almost liberated from that old dragging fear. He was very different now, and he almost didn't regret pretending to be a psychopath. He was an actor, mimicking a character, not the actual man.

_I like that sound!_

The shiny car was that yellow shade that his boss was so fond of, bright and proud, even through his epic sun glasses. This color was the one that 'popped better' according to his boss. It seemed to sparkle in the sun, dazzling. If that was popping, the CEO of Hyperion was certainly right.

He chuckled to himself._ Pop!_

After about a second, the 'sexy-billionaire' act embarrassed the body-double. "This sounds...oh, man, I'm getting too good at impersonating him, aren't I?" he mumbled to himself. "Yeah, think I'll just lay off of that for a sec!"

The title, _Hyperion_, decorated it's side in fancy bold letters. He pushed the vehicle to drive and hit the accelerator. He was amazed on how quickly it took off, sensitive to his guidance. He jumped a little, letting up and slamming the break so that it came to an abrupt halt. He bounced in his seat, further mortified.

"Yes, yes siree, yesss...er, just not too fast, hehe." He chortled nervously, pushing his foot to the accelerator more carefully this time. The car growled and shifted, rolling down the road. Timothy, in spite of himself, watched the speedometer carefully.

_No need to get ahead of myself,_ he thought.

"Enjoying the ride?" Angel's voice spoke over the intercom.

"Yeah! It's great."

"Good, I'm connecting you with Jack."

"Alrighty."

"Hey Kiddo...how's it rollin'?" The familiar voice resounded over the radio. Handsome Jack. Right, the friendly voice of the paranoid psychopath, how typical. Timothy ignored his familiar thoughts of the man. There was no need for clouds to cover his metaphorical sun that cheered him up.

"Greaaaat!" Timothy responded, turning the car down the side road.

"Awesome...hey, waita second. Are you only going _ninety-six_ kilometers an hour? Plbt..." It sounded like he was spitting and snickering at the same time.

"Uh...yeah, is that bad?"

"Umm...only a lot! That baby was made for like 200 kilometers an hour! Actually, probably like 300! You could nearly fly with that thing! God...I so totally gotta get you a car that breaks the sound barrier! Imagine shattering windows when ya take off! Hehehe..."

"Yeah, that'd be great, sir." Timothy responded calmly. Inside, his gut was roiling at the thought of flying at such high speeds. Flying was best left to experts in aeronautics.

Timothy heard his boss tapping at a digi-keyboard, the noise echoing over the Echo.

Jack finally said, "Ooooh...kay, I'm placin' that order in! There we go... All done. It'll digistruct for ya as soon as you get there! To Opportunity...can't wait to see what you think of the beauty!"

Sometimes, Timothy still wondered at his boss. Surely, he didn't actual expect him to drive such a vehicle...did he?

"Aweso-...oh..." The doppelganger's eyes narrowed when he looked out at the work in progress. "I've arrived at the construction site," he informed his boss.

Timothy gazed out at the vast area. He wasn't nearly as impressed as he'd thought he'd be.

The tall skeletons of frameworks belonging to skyscrapers reached upward. They weren't as high as he was expecting, but that was probably because they hadn't finished them. Construction equipment lay about, and the land didn't seem to be completely filled in yet. The island itself was a construction, and that was the best thing the doppelganger could say - the island was magnificent and ambitious.

"Great!" Jack said. "Find the overseer building at construction station one. That's like, the first one...ya'know, outta like, fifty. Should be the first thing you see. That should lead you where ya need to go. The consoles will tell ya how to get to your new office-bedroom complex. Oh, don't forget to visit the workers, shoot a couple if you have to. Whatever, just make sure they're on it. I want my city...I want it soon."

Before Timothy could respond, the echo clicked off.

The doppelganger had gone cold, bothered by those simple words. Yes, he couldn't forget that man's words - s_hoot a couple if you have to._ He couldn't help the rising uncertainty he felt. What if Jack was serious? What if Jack really wanted him to kill someone? His hands were nervously attached to the wheel.

"Shit..." he muttered, the bridge rolling under his tires now. _I won't actually kill someone, unless I really, really, really have to..._

That's what worried him. Where was the line drawn between 'really, really, really have to' and a regular 'have to'? He groaned in annoyance, pushing the odd thoughts away.

The motor of the Hyperion vehicle rumbled in his head. He guided his sleek ride down the road, steady. When he pushed away his former thoughts, he was surprised to find that he felt quite happy. The air rushed pleasantly through his hair, and he was enjoying the nice tune ringing from the radio. He pulled down the large lane, speeding past a few constructors on the sidelines.

Finally he rolled to a stop in the lane, lifting the sun glasses.

He was greeted at the end of the bridge - where a visitor machine sat - by an automated voice system. "Welcome to Opportunity, please wait while the vehicle is scanned for any unauthorized materials or persons!"

"How friendly," Timothy quipped, waiting.

"Welcome, Handsome! Make yourself at home!"

"Will do!"

Timothy rolled into the parking spot.

_Please don't let Jack digistruct that car he was talking about_.

Carefully, not looking too hard at the digistruct station nearby, Timothy crossed the small lot to the only completed building on the side. Curiously, he noted the sign upon it. _Opportunity station one - Overseer building._ He walked through the automatic doors, crossing to the front desk quickly. The desk had a similar sign with _Overseer_ written on it. A man sitting there glanced up, a flash of surprise passing briefly over his face.

_From here on...no Timothy. Just Jack, _the doppelganger reminded himself.

"Wh-" the other guy started.

"_C. E. O._ Betcha didn't know that stands for Chief Executive Officer, did ya? That's me, by the way..." Timothy said in his best Jack imitation. He met the man's gaze.

"Yeah, so you're the boss. What are you doing here?"

"Checking on my baby, of course," Timothy said. "This lovely work of city-art...that's not quite complete..."

"Opportunity, you mean. What do you think so far?"

_You mean the gilded skeleton cage?_ Timothy thought. He said,"Honestly? ...shorter than I expected."

The man looked to a device laying on his desk, "What do you expect? We've only been on it for a few weeks."

"Yeah, great... By the way, this desk says_ overseer_. The only overseer I recall hiring was Wilhelm. Where is he?"

"Well, he left me in charge of the desk. I'm like...the overseer's overseer. Apparently, he couldn't really even sit in this chair/"

"Great... where is he?"

"Probably scaring the skin off the workers...in station two...or thirty. Hard to say. If not, he's patrolling the city wherever."

"Right... So he could be anywhere. Great. Okay, I've stalled long enough. Where am I staying? I wasn't really...y'know. _Told_."

"Oh," the man chuckled. "Heard they were sticking you up in sector three...'bout the only place with actual buildings."

"Yeah... Alright. By the way, I'm calling a meeting for tomorrow. I expect _everyone_ to be in attendance. By everyone, I mean workers. All of 'em. You and Wilhelm to. I gotta go find the guy."

"Yes, sir. I will let them know."

Timothy paced out of the office, whistling. If he was going to motivate the workers, he'd do it _without_ gunfire.

Hopefully.

* * *

.

* * *

I stared at the imposing figure of metal and man. Wilhelm. The yellow metallic shell had him towering above me, dwarfing me, but for once, I wasn't intimated. Even in spite of the fact that this metal monstrosity could've snapped my spine without even trying. In essence, I was Handsome Jack, and if he didn't answer to me, he'd be answering to the _real _one in no time.

"Hey," He greated shortly.

"Heya, hows it hanging, Wilhelm? You're being awfully rude today."

"And you're being too talkative."

"I just started speaking... Okay, look, you don't gotta like me, exactly, but you gotta treat me just like Handsome Jack... That's who I am, and if you don't like it, I'll tell the real Handsome Jack... 'kay, Pumpkin?"

"The boss would never call me Pumpkin," Wilhelm growled.

I managed to contain my shudder, realizing that okay, maybe _I was_ a teensy bit intimidated. After all the last thing I wanted was to be was strung up by my intestines. If it came down to it, who would Jack actually choose between me, his carefully trained body-double, or the greedy Wilhelm, his badass enforcer?

Odds weren't exactly in my favor there.

Still, I wasn't going to let this metal tower stomp all over me like I was a useless rug. "Well, I'm gonna call ya that until you show a bit more respect... Pumpkin."

Sometimes, I surprise myself. I'd never known confidence, but in spite of it all, it had found me. Regardless, I often found myself saying things that would have otherwise gotten me killed. Wherever these spurs of courage originated from, it would definitely be the death of me one day.

To my surprise, the great enforcer cracked a smile. "Did you grow a backbone all of a sudden? Or are you just starting to enjoy your power?" he rumbled coarsely.

_'Enjoy your power'_ echoed in my head. Is that what this was...enjoying my power. No I decided, this was survival, instinct and self-preservation. I needed Wilhelm to listen to me.

He continued before I could respond. "Ah, whatever. Look, I'll give no trouble, as long as you and the boss are still...working together."

That sounded more ominous than he might have meant it to. Still, I decided not to worry so much about it.

With a perfectly straight face, I said, "and I bet he'll always want _you _around."

"Nah, he won't. He's fickle. But that's my concern, not yours. You're gonna have to worry about your ass when he decides he doesn't like you around..."

"I go home with a big pile of money," I said quickly. "Look at you, saying more than two words at a time!"

He snorted. "I'm getting back to the patrols. _Someone's_ gotta be productive."

With that, the robot man stomped off. I watched his retreating form, mildly miffed. Suddenly, I didn't feel so great. I knew what happened in Hyperion when people were let go.

They went out the airlocks in Helios station.

Right, so how long was I going to be useful to Jack exactly? Obviously, even someone like Wilhelm knew that Jack would never keep the same people around him for long lengths of time. He was too paranoid for that. No, one day, my life would be in true danger, I realized. Maybe not because I'd done something wrong, but because Jack would find me useless somehow. He was an ambitious man, and most likely, would always be that way. He'd aggressively keep competition at bay. If that meant cycling the workers...well, that also meant me.

And from Wilhelm's words, he wasn't expecting Handsome Jack to be his boss for the rest of his robotic life, either.

Just what I need, another problem to keep me up at night. For now, though, I had to concentrate on this city project. Surely I'd be around until that was done. Years. I'd figure it out by then, I was certain. No need to loose my head over it now.

Making my way to my quarters that'd been indicated to me earlier, I passed through the doors to the buidling. Slipping down the hallway, I passed through another automatic doorway.

"Yep, that's fantastic," I murmured, staring at the fairly grand room. Two fountains adorned the walkway. When I looked down, I could see my reflection in the smooth, shiny floor. It resembled Jack's office in Helios, except that the grand windows in the back looked out upon the lake of the construction site instead of Elpis. The desk was solid and intricate and a single chair sat behind it. Definitely familiar to me.

I guess I should've been used to the man's extravagance, and to be honest, I was fairly used to living like a billionaire...even if I wasn't one. Actually, maybe that was trillionaire by now. Or whatever -aire Jack happened to be at that time.

I walked over to the desk, tracing its smooth surface. It was empty of anything save a single Echo device.

"Another one?" I muttered. "I've already got one."

Upon examination, I discovered why. It was an updated version of the original. I tapped the 'on' button, and in perfect HD, the dark haired woman was staring at me.

"Angel?" I asked, surprised.

"Hello, Tim," she responded, smiling a little.

"What's this new Echo all about?" I asked, even if I'd already drawn my own conclusions. Better I was forewarned of any possible surprises it might carry.

"Oh, new issue. Jack's ordered a bunch of them for higher-level Hyperion employees. Anyways, this is where you live now. Probably until the city is complete, so I suggest you get comfortable."

"Thanks, Angel."

I'd wondered over to a side door I'd noticed. I pushed it open, swinging it in. I saw a slightly smaller room, and it was no less extravagant. Inside was a bed with fancy embroidery and a TV in front of a couch. It reminded me of my room back on Helios.

This was actually pretty good!

_So I get both Jack's office and my bedroom! I live here now!_ _For...years, at least!_ I didn't allow myself to think of what might happen at the end of my contract.

To be honest, I was quite satisfied with this turnout. Maybe things would start to look up even more. I backed out of the bedroom, shutting the door. I crossed back over to the desk and took a seat, gazing down at the new Echo. Angel's face was still there. I seized the device and turned to the great lake out the window.

"It's nice, actually," I said softly. "I wasn't expecting it. Which is totally stupid... I guess, I expected it to feel more like a gilded cage...but it almost feels like home."

I wasn't so sure if that was true, but it'd been so long since I'd come home to anywhere, that this was the closest thing I could remember to that feeling. It was mildly relaxing.

"Glad to you cheering up., Angel said.

"Yeah, and just to add to the fun, I'm gonna give Echo Jump 10 another go on this totally new and shiny Echo."

She actually chuckled a little as he pulled the game up.

* * *

.

* * *

**End of chapter 10**

I apologize for any typos.


End file.
